Left Behind
by Y2Jen
Summary: After the Cell Games. Chi-Chi is mourning and stressing and worrying terribly over Goku's death so much that she makes herself ill! But is it in fact mourning sickness, or morning sickness...?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _Hello all, this story took a while to write and I didn't get a lot of consecutive writing done. So it didn't go or end just the way I planned, I thought I started out strong but ended a little weak. I'm thinking of doing a sequel of what happens after the ending, so let me know what you think and if it's something you'd like to see then I'll be more than happy to write it. So read, and may you enjoy._

Chi-Chi still couldn't believe it.

'He's not coming back…'

"Goku…." Could he see her looking for him, her eyes in the sky, the tears shining like the stars only that cloudy night nothing could be seen.

'It'll be alright mom.' Gohan was smiling when he said that, he was wearing a typical face that the son of Goku would wear, just like his father, he could put on that smile and make the world seem right. But behind that smile were eyes hiding the pain in his own heart. 'He was happy, mom, I heard him.' He had heard him, heard it with his own ears. But he hadn't accepted it.

'Oh, yes Gohan…' Chi-Chi knelt down, her face flush from crying at the news of her husband's death. She put her hands softly on his strong shoulders, the shoulders of her son, who just a few weeks ago had still been those of a child, now were those of a young man. She tried to smile herself, smile back to Gohan in assurance, but her face refused to wear even an obviously forced grimace. 'Yes, I know we will.'

'Don't worry Chi-Chi.' Ox King spoke up, his gruff voice might have startled a stranger, but to Chi-Chi, she knew it just as the voice of dad. 'Everything happens for a reason right? I mean, maybe this was his fate.'

'How could you say that, daddy!' Chi-Chi jumped up, whirling around to face him, challenging the words coming from his mouth. 'How could you say that it was Goku's destiny to die!'

Gohan turned away, he didn't think he could ever tell his mother about the battle with Cell, what happened there. He still couldn't shake that feeling in his heart, the breaking stab in his chest as he continued to battle the idea that it was HIS fault that Goku was dead. Daddy was dead because of him! Gohan shook the thought away momentarily, right now his mother needed him.

'No Chi-Chi!' Ox King was protesting back. 'It's not a good thing, but good bye isn't forever, right?' Chi-Chi stared up at her father, frozen, utterly confused, with emotions conflicting within her. 'I mean, you're sure to see each other again, right?' Chi-Chi's eyes shook, she looked back down at her son, the smile no longer on his face, his eyes now wearing a notion of concern, worried up at his mother. 'It's not like he's gone…'

'I guess…' She fell down to her knees again, Gohan gasped and went to catch her, but she returned to the same position as earlier, knelt down with her arms on her son's strong shoulders. She smiled this time though, even though her eyes were drenched with tears, she had a smile on her face, 'I can see him.'

'Huh?' Gohan tilted his head to the side.

'Goku isn't gone.' She lowered her head. 'He will always be here.' After a brief pause she looked back up at her son. 'Isn't that right, Gohan?'

'Yeah!' Gohan grinned. 'We…. We'll be alright mom.' He looked up. 'Won't we grandpa!'

'Yes.' Ox King nodded, he smiled too. 'Goku wouldn't want us to be sad, he'd want us to be happy.'

'Yeah, that dumb oaf.' Chi-Chi half laugh half sobbed. She let out a cleansing sigh and shut her eyes, standing up. 'Alright, enough of that. Goku would also say he's hungry, so…' She glanced over her shoulder. 'How about we eat in his honor.'

'Alright!' Ox King and Gohan cheered, they were both happy to see her smile again.

'I just hope we can eat Goku's share between the three of us.' Gohan laughed.

'I know I have an appetite, but I've never ever beaten Goku!' Ox King replied back.

'Yeah.' Chi-Chi smiled to herself with a nod, turning into the kitchen as the boys went to watch some TV in the living room. 'No one could ever replace Goku, there will never be another Goku.' She looked down and sighed, she felt so lost, but she couldn't give up now, she had a family to live for and care for, without Goku, now she would have to be the strong one in the family. She clenched her fist in determination. 'And now, I shall start dinner.'

That was earlier last night, now that the sun was down and she was in the bedroom alone in the big empty darkness, looking skyward, lost, did she really feel it, she really felt it hit her hard, the solitude she would face, alone, for the rest of her life. Was she really strong enough? Would she really be able to be the strong one of the family now?

"Oh Goku…"

She felt sick, alone with her thoughts, alone… just, alone! She continued to stare, stare and stare up into the oblivion. But she got no answer, she heard no response. With a sigh of defeat she turned back to the dark bedroom. She stood up from the chair next to the window and walked towards her bed. Never before had the bed seemed so large, so empty. She was too tired now, she got into the bed and lay under the covers, spread out on her back, staring up at the ceiling. The night was quiet, there was no wind, no animals outside, no snoring from Goku. The whole house felt empty, no, the whole world. Because Goku was her whole world… wait…. That's right, was. Her world, it was empty now, it was….

"Ugh…" She felt sick again, just thinking about it. "I have to stop this." She turned onto her side, her back to the window and she forced her eyes shut to try and get some sleep… did it work? She opened her eyes, only two minutes had passed on the alarm clock on the side of the bed. "Oh…" She groaned, she was too tired for this right now. She crawled over to the other side of the bed, Goku's side, and lay down. She tried to snuggle as deep into the sheets, the pillows and the mattress as she could. Yet no pillow, no comforter could provide the comfort of Goku's arms. "Maybe tomorrow morning… things will look brighter." She closed her eyes. "In the morning."

The next morning…

"Ah!" Gohan yawned as he opened the door to his bedroom, it was the first day in… well, a very long time, that he had woken up in black hair. He didn't have to be a Super Saiyan anymore. He rubbed his dark, no longer blue-green eyes, as he walked down the hall. "Morning grandpa."

"Oh, hello there Gohan." Ox King nodded as he got out of the bathroom, he put his comb in his pocket. "Ready for breakfast?"

"Oh." Gohan groaned, putting his hands on his stomach. "After last night's two and a half dinners, I don't think I could eat at all today!" He laughed.

"I think I could burst too." Ox King joined in, a creak of a door opening was heard, but right before they could turn to great the source, Chi-Chi rushed passed them and into the bathroom.

"Morning, excuse me!" She slammed the door shut.

"Uh…" Gohan blinked up at his grandpa.

He just shrugged back, "Maybe she ate too much too." They walked towards the dining room.

Chi-Chi was panting, she was covered his sweat, her body was shaking, she had never felt so sick, she couldn't remember being in such pain. She flushed the toilet and watched the swirl of the water, it made her dizzy just looking at it. Her eyes began to flutter and roll into the back of her head, but she gasped and shook her head, gasping for air as she prevented herself from fainting. She looked around frantically, getting a hold of her bearings. Her vision focused and she realized she was back in her bathroom, she looked back at the toilet. Her frizzed hair, baggy eyes, red cheeked reflection stared back at her. She sat up straight and closed her eyes, letting her heartbeat return to normal. She looked at her hands, her arms, everything was shaking. She wrapped them around her body and sat back down in confusion, and even a little bit afraid.

"What is wrong with me, what's going on here….?"

No, she had to be strong. She couldn't let some stomach bug, some cold, kick her when she was down. After a moment of re-cooperation, she cleared her throat, stood up, dusted her dress off, and with a steady breath, opened the door. She had thought she'd heard a knocking from in the living room, as she got towards the end of the hall, she saw Gohan open the door.

"Oh, hey Krillin." He greeted his friend.

"Hi." He mumbled, he was wearing a black sweatband on his arm in memory of Goku. He cleared his throat and glanced around as he spoke quietly, "Hey, I just wanted to know, um, if you know, uh… wanted to go fishing, AH for old time's sake! You know? Eh heh…."

"That would be a great idea!" Gohan beamed.

"Yeah, Goku would want that." Ox King nodded in agreement.

Chi-Chi's brow lowered in her exhaustion of hearing her belated husband's name.

"Hey mom."

"Hey Chi-Chi."

"Mom."

"Chi-Chi."

"Hey!"

"Huh…" Chi-Chi finally made some sign of life and glanced around, realizing that Gohan and her father had been calling her. "What?"

"Uh…" Gohan hesitated, realizing that something was wrong. He glanced up at his grandpa, then spoke, "We're all still pretty full from last night. So maybe Krillin, grandpa and I can go fishing for lunch. What do you think, can we go?"

"Yeah, can we?" Ox King asked his daughter as if she was the parent in the relationship.

"I promise I'll catch a REALLY big fish!" Gohan spread his arms as wide as they could go, then he froze and lowered his arms. "I mean, well, you know, not as big as dad's of course."

Krillin grimaced, it was hard to talk about happy things, because so many of those happy thoughts reminded them of Goku. Chi-Chi felt the same way, her eyes were dull, giving Gohan worry. But he didn't have time to calculate the thoughts, because Chi-Chi spoke back up.

"Sure, you guys go ahead. I've got some housework and cleaning to do before lunch anyway, so you guys have a fun time and go fishing. Just make sure you're back by noon, okay?"

"Okay!" Gohan nodded, wearing a grin again.

"Come on, let's go." Krillin motioned and he turned to go.

"Bye mom!" Gohan rushed after his friend.

"Alright, we're leaving now." Ox King crouched out of the door, then paused and glanced around. "Hey, are you sure you're going to be alright?" Chi-Chi hesitated, glancing away, her arms feeling like dead weights. "After such a horrible, uh incident, you've got a lot to deal with and a lot on your mind. Are you sure you want to be alone?"

A smile tugged at her lips as she tried to sound convincing, "Yeah, I'll be alright. And… and I'm not alone, remember?" She looked up at her father. "Goku is here with me, right?"

"Yeah." Ox King nodded. "Alright then, take care, we'll be back soon."

Ox King didn't want to leave, but he wanted to make his daughter happy, so he did as she wished and left her alone, closing the door behind him. But he still wasn't so sure, the face she looked up at him with, it was a face he hadn't seen in 20 years. It was the same face she gave him, after her mother dissapeared, his beloved wife, Mai.

"Come on, hurry up grandpa or you'll fall behind!" Gohan called as he and Krillin hurried towards the waterfall.

"Wait I'm coming, don't leave me." Ox King laughed as he reached up with them.

"Man, it's so hard, to try and laugh without Goku." Krillin spoke bluntly to the point.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Gohan smirked back.

"Well, then why can you smile?" Krillin blinked.

"Well… hmm. I guess it's because dad sounded so happy when he was telling us good bye. It was like, not a 'forever farewell', but an, 'I'll see ya later' kinda feeling. You know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Krillin laughed. "I never thought about it before, but, that's just the way Goku is." He sighed. "That's just Goku for you."

"Yeah, we need to live you guys. He died so we could survive. He would want us to be happy, to live for him, to live like him. So you know what?" Gohan turned with a smile. "I'm gonna catch the biggest fish in the whole river, even BIGGER than dad ever did!" He ran to the water's edge and began to change. "Come on dad, help me out, lend me your fishing skills, and the strength to find the biggest fish and pull him to the surface." He took a deep breath and jumped in.

"Alright Goku, now I know Gohan asked for you help, but I need your help too." He looked down at the water, the ripples distorting his reflection. "I want your help to get an even bigger fish than Gohan."

"But Krillin, Goku can't do that." Ox King spoke up.

"Nu uh, that's where you're wrong." Krillin smirked, shaking his finger. "Gohan wanted to catch a bigger fish than Goku. I want to catch a bigger fish than Gohan. See I got them on a technicality here."

"But Gohan is Goku's son, surely he's going to help his own son catch the biggest fish. And if he catches the biggest fish, then what can you catch?"

"Well what about you, what are you going to catch?"

"Uh, I dunno…" Ox King began to think. "Maybe an eel, or a squid or something?"

"Eh…?"

Ox King laughed, "I was never good with fishing."

"Well, maybe Goku can help you learn."

"Well maybe Goku can help you learn how to grow some hair."

"Well maybe Goku could help you learn how to be polite."

"Well maybe Goku could help you learn how to take a joke."

"Well maybe Goku could help you learn how to tell one."

"Well maybe my dad could help me out of the river, since you two are bickering like little old ladies."

"Huh?" The duo turned to see Gohan floating in the water, holding onto the tail of a huge fish.

"What, you mean you caught one already!?" Krillin was flabbergasted.

"Yup!" Gohan shot a victory sign, a la Goku.

"Well, then I guess we both lost." Ox King shrugged.

"Well maybe my dad could also teach you to let your actions speak louder than words." Gohan winked. "If you hadn't been going back and forward this whole time, maybe you could've at least caught an appetizer for today's entre." He jumped out of the water, a huge fish at least three times as big as Goku, landed on the ground. "Oh, and just for the record, not only am I a good fisher, but I'm not too shabby with jokes either." He hoisted the fish over his shoulder and started back home.

Ox King picked up Gohan's clothes, "Well, that's Goku for ya."

"Huh, what do you mean?" Krillin blinked, glancing up at Ox King. "That's Gohan."

"Well, like father like son right? Gohan had to learn that somewhere."

"Yeah." Krillin smiled as they followed after Gohan. "That's just Goku for ya, to teach him."

Chi-Chi had spent all morning cleaning and taking care of chores around the house, but she wasn't alone or quiet with her thoughts as she had planned, because not much sooner than had the boys left than did her phone ring. On the other end was Bulma. She had been Goku's first friend, she had cared for him deeply, but she knew that if anyone else in the world had cared for Goku more than her, it would be his family, and most importantly, his wife Chi-Chi. They spent hours on the phone talking about Goku, about memories, about girl stuff, about kids, about shopping, about that one stupid new commercial that was everywhere on TV. But when it all got right down to it, every time they smiled or laugh, they were reminded of Goku and they stopped. Yet all in all, Chi-Chi couldn't help but feel better, like she wasn't alone. She didn't have Goku to talk to, and the voice may have been coming through a telephone wire, but she did have somebody there for her. She had her best friend Bulma there, somebody who knew Goku almost as much as she did. In the hours they spoke, the time seemed to fly, and soon the boys could be seen through the window.

"Well, looks like the boys are back alright." Chi-Chi said. "Wow. You should see the fish Gohan has!"

"Oh yeah?" Bulma chuckled. "Like father like son, I suppose. I just hope Trunks doesn't end up like Vegeta."

"Oh, like I told you before Bulma. Vegeta's not the father type, Trunks will be just fine, he'll turn out to be as smart as his mother, you just wait and see."

"Well your son is smarter than you isn't he? The way you brash. I'll want my son to be even smarter than me."

"Yeah, I think you're right. All parents want their children to be even better than they are. I want Gohan to be smarter than me, just like Goku wanted him to be stronger than him…" Chi-Chi had to stop, she had realized something, but also, the boys had just walked through the door.

"Hi mom." Gohan waved. "Check it out!"

"Hey honey." Ox King ducked inside. "Look, see, he caught it all by himself too."

"It's three times as big as an adult, it's huge!" Krillin laughed.

"Yeah." Chi-Chi smiled. "Anyway, I'll, uh call you back later on okay?"

"Alright, you take care now, and take it easy missy!" Bulma hung up, as did Chi-Chi.

"So, I guess you guys are hungry after that trip huh?" She walked over and brushed at Gohan's bangs. "Why don't you guys go wash up. I've got some of lunch already finished, so while you guys eat, I can work on the fish."

"That's alright mom, I…" Gohan hesitated, biting his lip for a moment. "I want to help you."

"What…?" Chi-Chi was in shock, NEVER had Gohan asked to help with cooking before.

"Dad always helped you, didn't he? Well, I can learn how to cook too." Gohan smiled, but Chi-Chi was still in shock. "I'm here mom too, remember? You're not alone anymore." He hugged her. "You'll never be alone mom, I won't ever leave you."

Chi-Chi choked, trying to fight back tears, "No, no Gohan you're right, I won't." She hugged him back and closed her eyes. "Thank you, my beautiful baby boy… no. My beautiful, big boy." Gohan smiled back up at her, giggling as he always did. "But first, wash up."

"Okay!" Gohan trotted off to the sink.

"Hmm. Hmm?" She glanced up to see Krilin and Ox King. She frowned, trying to get back into her stern state. "And what about you two lazy lumps? Are you going to help out too, or just help us eat?"

"Uh, I uh, I'm a guest, so… I'd best wash up…" Krillin stammered, backing up towards the bathroom, then taking off into a sprint. Chi-Chi then turned to her father.

"Well, uh, honey… you know me… I was never good when it came to cooking… you were always, uh, the chef of the house… so… uh….!" He backed up and followed after Krillin.

"Ugh. Oh well, boys will be boys I suppose."

She turned back to the kitchen to get to work. It felt good to be back into a routine, but it would be a very long time until it felt natural, like how it did when Goku was with her. Even when he was off in another world fighting aliens, at least Chi-Chi knew he would come back to her. But this time, he was off in another world, but he would not be coming back, not this time.

Lunchtime was pretty normal, well for being without Goku. Everyone talked and laughed just like old times. Even the fish tasted just as Goku's did. Gohan had helped in the kitchen, just as he'd promised, he even helped with the dishes. Chi-Chi was quiet through most of the meal, but she was actually enjoying herself, even just a little.

Afterwards, Gohan joined Krillin and Ox King in the living room to watch some TV. Hercule was on boasting about the Cell Games again. It made Chi-Chi sick, sicker than she ever felt before, sick, with rage. She hated that man, no, he wasn't a man, he was a beast… and even that would offend the cute little monsters in Gohan's old bedtime story books. She couldn't watch the debauchery anymore, she decided to go back to the bedroom to rest for a bit. She was completely drained. Was it because she slept so poorly? Or was she in fact getting sick? Was she stressing herself out so bad that her mourning was actually making her sick? The angst and anguish of her husband's death was affecting her physical health. Whatever it was, she felt terrible, more than she ever felt before. But what was the saddest of all, was that even when she felt bad, even if she was sick, she could always go to bed and cuddle with Goku to feel better. And now, she couldn't.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** _Sorry it took so long to update, I've been busy with work and then I forgot that made us updated our passwords so I was going AHH and kept typing in the old one like an idiot lol. I be dumb.... anyways thank you for such positive feedback and I hope that you enjoy this next chapter_

Capsule Corporation was a huge building, a person could get lost with all the halls and doorways and labs. But to a friend, or seasoned employee, you could map it like the back of your hand. And luckily for Chi-Chi, she had been to Capsule Corp many times, so she knew exactly where she was going.

The lab she and Bulma were sitting in was full of machinery. Big, tall, metal boxes, taller than most people, full of blinking lights, fluctuating dials, and whirring knobs. Old print outs, like they were fed out of a line printer, were stacked in trash cans, the final drafts laid out on tables. The Briefs family was incredibly smart and incredibly talented, and of course Bulma took right after her father, the professor.

Bulma was always dressed fashionably, but when it came right down to work, she always wore a white lab coat over her outfits. In place of a cigarette or beer can, she held a coffee mug in her hand, staring down at a clipboard, tapping the paper with the pen in thought. Chi-Chi sat in the chair across the table from her. The desk was littered with instruments and old, dirty paperwork.

"Well hun…" Bulma finally spoke up, the first time glancing at her friend in over five minutes. "I don't know what to tell ya." She sighed.

"So, is it bad, then…?" Chi-Chi's voice was dull with sorrow.

Bulma and her family had always served as a makeshift hospital for their friends, when Chi-Chi had given birth to Gohan, Bulma's parents were the ones who helped her deliver. Whenever any of them had gotten hurt, granted it was before Senzu Beans, they would always come to see Bulma and get fixed up right away. If anybody ever got sick, they would go to Capsule Corp. And of course, the building was so big, every single friend in the Z-Fighters could stay there for the weekend and have their own rooms. And never once, did any of Briefs ask for payment. Of course Chi-Chi hated the idea of mooching off such kind hearted, good friends, so she would often cook things in gratitude for them. And so now, was the case, a tray of cookies half eaten on the other end of the table, Chi-Chi was still feeling ill, had paid a visit to her doctor friend.

"Well, frankly…" Bulma smirked. "I can't find a thing wrong with you!"

"What?"

"I mean it." She chuckled slightly, relaxing back into the wheeled chair. "I examined you a hundred percent. You don't have a fever, a stomach bug, congestion, anything." She leaned in, putting her arms on the table, raising a brow. "Lady, you sure you're not doing this for the attention." She winked.

Chi-Chi smirked back, even in the hard times, Bulma could always bring a smile to her face and make her forget her worries, "I'm serious, I tell you I don't know why I feel so bad. It started right after I heard Goku died…"

"Oh." Bulma paused. "See you didn't tell me that."

"Huh…?"

"Honey, you've got mourning sickness."

"Mourning… sickness?"

"You know. You worried yourself sick, well, that sounded cliche…. In all of your stress and emotional mood swings, you've given yourself some kind of delusion of hysterical illness."

"Well I don't think it's funny." Chi-Chi scowled.

"No, no. That's just, what it's called. Well anyway, I don't blame you." Bulma sighed.

"I can't help being stressed out. I guess I'm just not used to being alone…. I can't accept the fact, I can't admit that he's gone."

"No, none of us can. And, it will take time." Bulma took the last sip of her cup. "In all the years both you and I have known Goku, we always knew that he would come back okay. Even after Frieza, we knew in our hearts that there was that small fraction, that tiny percent of a possibility, a what if, that he would be alright and come back home." She glanced over gently at Chi-Chi. "But now, for the first time ever, now he's not."

"Yes." Chi-Chi clenched her fists as they rested on her legs. "But what's so wrong about this being 'the first time ever' see, it's also… the last time ever." She bit her lip, trying to choke back the tears. "Because he's not coming back…" Her voice cracked.

"Oh." Bulma sighed. She rolled her chair around the corner and hugged Chi-Chi, who finally just burst into tears. "It's okay, shh, just let it out…" She stroked her hair, hugging her other arm around her shoulder. "It's alright, just get it out of your system. You need to cry, you can't just keep bottling it up like this all the time."

"But I have to be the strong one now." She blurted between sobs.

"Honey, honey…" Bulma finally let her go so she could look her eye to red, teary eye. "You are NOT alone. You've got Gohan, you've got your dad, you've got all of your wonderful friends, and…" She smiled warmly. "You've got me. Okay? Don't forget that." Chi-Chi sniffed and nodded. "There. Don't worry, it will be okay. We're all going to get through this, but we're going to do this together."

"All…alright." Chi-Chi nodded, smiling a bit.

"There." Bulma rubbed her back and gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Feel better now?"

"Well, actually I… I… I, feel sick!" Chi-Chi jumped up and rushed out the door to the bathroom down the hall.

"Oh…" Bluma blinked. "Well now that was odd." She furrowed her brow in worry.

"Come on Trunks, you can do it!" Gohan laughed as he held up one of Trunks' favorite toys just above standing level for a baby. "Come on, come on!"

"Hey, look!" Krillin gasped.

"OH!" Baby Trunks stood up and reached up, grabbing the toy out of Gohan's hands, then plopped back down on his bottom.

"Yay!" Gohan cheered, Krillin clapped in approval. "You did it Trunks, you did it!"

"La, la, laaa, la!" Trunks cheered back, holding the toy in one hand in triumph, copying Gohan's fist in the air. But he soon grew tired of the activity and began to teethe on the toy.

"Well, one thing about babies is, they've got a very short attention span." Gohan laughed.

"You sure do like to babysit Trunks, Gohan."

"Well, it's nice to have another kid around… uh, well I mean, he's not my age, but, I've always been the youngest, the only kid in the gang, and well…" Gohan smiled, putting his chin in his hands as he watched Trunks play amongst himself. "It's nice to finally see what it was like, to watch a child grow up. It kinda makes you feel, well, sorta… proud."

Krillin grinned back at Gohan, "I know what you mean. To see how you've grown up, what you've become. It's amazing! I never would've guessed it in my wildest dreams."

"Hey, I don't think my mom did either." Gohan laughed.

"Yeah, you were going to be, what now, a dentist?"

"Only on the weekends. I was also going to be a lawyer every other day, and on the other days be a scholar, giving lectures at a university."

"Wow. So what is it with every mom wanting her child to grow up and be a lawyer?"

"I dunno…" Gohan began to think. "Hey Bulma never said that about Trunks! I wonder what she wants him to be when he grows up?"

"Well, knowing Vegeta, it'd probably be to be a great fighter."

"I suppose. Maybe Bulma just wants Trunks to be happy?" Gohan shrugged.

"I think every parent wants that." Krillin smiled, Gohan grinned back.

"Hey, what about you Trunks. What do YOU want to be when you grow up?" Gohan looked at Trunks. The baby just stared back. Krillin looked down at Trunks, but the baby just continued to stare. After a serious stare down, Trunks began to cheer happily again, waving the toy. "Well, that's settled. I guess he's undecided for now."

"Well, he looks happy, anyway. And I guess that's all that matters, right?"

"Yeah." Gohan nodded, and they watched Trunks play happily.

"And besides." Krillin mumbled. "Lawyers don't make half as much money as Bulma does anyway…" Gohan just laughed.

In the living room, the professor and his wife were watching television. Nothing great was on, but of course there was another 'let's all cheer and praise our hero Hercule for saving us from Cell' on again. And when those were on, don't bother changing channels, no matter how far you flip them, it's on every single station. So the professor just sighed and stared off bored at the set.

"Whoa yeah, do you love me? I am the greatest!" Hercule roared even louder than the fans cheering, he didn't even need a mic to project his voice, he was just a natural loud mouth.

"I don't like him." Mrs. Briefs spoke up right as Chi-Chi slouched into the room after taking a detour to the bathroom to empty her already upset stomach.

"Huh…?" She looked at the TV, her dull eyes taking in the flamboyant showman. She scowled, her lips tightened into a frown of rage. "I can't stand that man. Hercule my ass, more like, Herc the Jerk, if you ask me!"

"Wow!" Mrs. Briefs looked up at her, a bit surprised. "I've never heard that tone before, are you feeling alright?"

Chi-Chi sighed, putting a hand on her face in embarrassment, "Oh, I don't know. I'm sorry…"

"You poor thing." She stood up. "Let me get you something to drink."

"Alright, just something light and gentle, maybe that will settle my stomach." She sat down, feeling very tired all of a sudden. "Uh, do you mind if we shut that off?"

"Certainly dear, no problem." Professor Briefs turned off the TV. He stood up and stretched. "Know what, it's a nice day out, why spend it cooped up inside, bothering with, Herc the Jerk on television." Chi-Chi giggled to herself a bit, she liked that new nickname, she had to remember to patent that. "Anyway, I'll leave you to rest inside, take a load off. You and your son can stay for as long as you like."

"Thanks." Chi-Chi nodded courteously and the professor left the room. She let out a sigh.

"Here we are, some nice hot tea." Mrs. Briefs entered the room before Chi-Chi could even blink.

"Oh, thank you." Chi-Chi took it and sipped from the cup, the warm tea did seem soothing, she felt herself starting to relax up against the reclining chair. "Yeah, that's nice, that hit the spot."

"So, Bulma couldn't find anything wrong with you then?"

"Oh, no, but… I know it's something more than stress. I mean, I'm so, so tired. I feel so sick, I throw up no matter if I've eaten or not. Is she right? Am I worrying myself sick?" She sat up.

Mrs. Briefs was silent for a moment as the two ladies stared, worried and confused at each other, "Well…" Finally she spoke up, glancing away for a moment. "Everything happens for a reason, and if you feel sick, then you are sick, even if a doctor can't find anything wrong, you know your body more than anybody else does."

"Yeah, I suppose…" Chi-Chi sighed, staring off into the distance. "I know it's not just mourning sickness, I can feel it in my gut…" She lowered her hand from her heart to her stomach.

"What, sickness?" Mrs. Briefs was a bit confused by her response.

"She says I'm worrying myself sick over Goku, now that he's dead and gone and not coming back. But, I know I'm not alone. I cried, I talked, I did everything I could, and yet I still feel so terrible."

Mrs. Briefs was silent for a moment again, before asking, "What did you and Goku do?"

"Huh?" Chi-Chi looked up.

"The week before the Cell Games. He and Gohan came out of the time chamber early didn't they? He had his birthday, but, what else did you do?"

"Hmmm…" Chi-Chi began to think, it was only a few days ago, but it seemed like months had passed in her solitude, in her loneliness, in her thoughts.

"Did you spend time together?"

"Well, let's see…" She paused as she collected the memories. "Gohan's birthday, we had a picnic, we saw you guys, we went to Master Roshi's. And then there was the last day when we were driving around before Goku left to go to the lookout." She suddenly stopped.

"What." Mrs. Briefs blinked for a moment. "What is it?"

Chi-Chi didn't reply, she was remembering everything now from those last few days, especially the last time she was with Goku. Not the hug she gave him before he left with Gohan, it was the last night they had spent together. It was almost, it was almost as if… Goku KNEW that he was going to die! Why else would they take such a terrible time and turn it into something, romantic. In the wake of the Cell Games and the possible destruction and death of the universe, they had spent their last night together, a wonderful time, celebrating, alone, in their bedroom…

"Well, uh…" Chi-Chi muttered quietly, feeling her face get red.

"Oh." Mrs. Briefs laughed. "I know that face."

"Oh, um, I…!" Chi-Chi gasped, putting a hand on her cheek.

"Don't worry, I… oh…!"

"What…?"

"Honey." Mrs. Briefs smiled. "I believe my daughter was right about your sickness."

"You mean, the mourning sickness?" Chi-Chi blinked.

"Yes, well… no, but." Mrs. Briefs giggled, and now Chi-Chi was utterly lost and confused. "Hun, it's not MOURNING sickness… you've got MORNING sickness!"

"Oh, ah…!" Chi-Chi gasped.

Mrs. Briefs clapped her hands together in glee, "Congratulations!!"

"What, what happened?" Bulma walked into the room, holding baby Trunks in her arms. She looked between the two women. "What is it…?"

Chi-Chi was frozen in shock, she couldn't believe it…. she was, it was, morning sickness!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**_ Happy Turkey Day everyone, gobble gobble that tasty dinner. Friday is my favorite day of the year, Black Friday muhahah. Good meals, good deals lol._

Chi-Chi had to sit down as soon as she got home.

Pregnant, she was pregnant?

It was 'morning' sickness and not 'mourning'…?

Too many questions all racing through her head, her mind was getting dizzy, and her stomach was spinning again. Somehow, remember her pregnancy back with Gohan, it all made sense, but she just didn't think it was the answer. Morning sickness, and mourning?

OH, and what was she going to tell her dad! Sure he would be happy, but she felt terrible. Not because she was pregnant, she would love to have another child, but not in a fatherless home, a home where an adventurous dad included their son on his journeys, but a home now where that same dad was on a trip that he would never return from. Goku was dead, and he hadn't left just his family behind, he had left a new life behind as well.

"I wonder if it will be a boy or a girl?" Ox King asked out of excitement, as soon as his daughter had told him he was going to be a grandpa for a second time, he went right back to writing a long scroll of names. He paused to scratch his head, "What if it's a girl this time…" He continued to write, name after name. "I wonder when you'll have the baby."

"Daddy, please." Chi-Chi smiled slightly at that. "I haven't even been pregnant a month yet, no less nine of them. We still have plenty of time until we know if it's a boy or a girl, or even if it's just one." She paused. That's right, there was plenty of time, plenty of time for things to go wrong. What if this baby… what if it ended up like Goku and…. She shook the though from her mind. "At any rate, dad, I'm going to have another child, and boy or girl, I'll have more work now that Goku isn't around." She had to stop and rethink that phrase for just a moment.

"But you do have Gohan, he's growing up right before our eyes."

"That's true dad, but now that Goku is gone and the world is at peace, he can live like a normal boy. He can study and play, all the things he couldn't do while fighting and training. I don't want this to be his weight to carry. I'm the parent, and I may be a single parent, but this has nothing to do with my son."

"But that doesn't mean he can't help you. And I can help you too honey, I'll send you more money, I'll stop by and visit a lot more often, and I'll bring more gifts." His eyes lit up. "Oh if it is a girl, you'll need all new blankets and accessories and clothes and…" He trailed off.

A grin tugged at Chi-Chi's lips, she was so grateful to have a father like Ox King and a son like Gohan. Even without Goku around, she knew she would be alright, that Gohan would be alright. But what about this up and coming new addition to the family, how would he or she fare without a father around? It saddened her, she knew what it was like to live with only one parent. Granted she was an only child, and she was very strong willed, but would this new baby be like her? It was after all only a baby, a baby needs love, not a broken home.

The days turned to weeks, and a few months had passed. She started to get more signs of morning sickness and pregnancy. She felt sick less often, but it was still hard to keep any food down. Surely this baby wouldn't have Goku's appetite, she couldn't eat much of anything. She was so tired, she felt like she was sleeping more than cleaning. But luckily Gohan became a great help around the house. He did the dishes, the laundry, they both tackled the sweeping and cleaning themselves, but Gohan was a terrible cook. He would mess up the easiest dishes, even burn things like rice, but in the end, both mother and son would just laugh. They would have a lot of fun together, but still without Goku there, the loudest laugh of all was silent.

Gohan and Chi-Chi were heading to Capsule Corp for her first ultrasound, she rode the whole time with her hands on her stomach. She wasn't even showing yet but she knew something was inside of her, she was so nervous about this new life she was brining into the world. Was she like this with Gohan? She turned over to look at that very son, he had taken the place of the husband by her side. He could never be Goku, he didn't want to replace his own dad, but he knew in his heart that his mother needed him there more than anything right now, and he was always by her side. Finally they arrived and wandered past the lobby to find whatever lab Bulma and her father were in this time. They spotted the professor first, discussing something with his wife.

"OH, and look whose here." She giggled. Mrs. Briefs waved, "Hi Chi-Chi, Gohan!"

"Hello." Gohan bowed his head slightly.

"Hey there. Do you know where Bulma is?"

"She's just finished setting up for you, come on." Mrs. Briefs led the party through a corridor until they reached the medical room Bulma was working in. "We've got company."

"Oh, hey there guys." Bulma looked up with a smile, glancing slightly at her watch. "Oh sorry, I guess I'm a bit behind."

"No that's alright, don't worry." Chi-Chi grinned. "We can wait if we're early."

"No I'm just about done, hang on." Bulma glanced at Gohan. "Hey kid. Krillin is here somewhere, why don't you go find him." She winked. "Give him a noogie for me."

"Yes mam!" Gohan laughed, he gave a wave as he ran off.

Chi-Chi smiled meekly, "Thanks Bulma."

"No prob hun, I'm sure you're feeling a little squeamish doing 'pregnant mother things' with your son around. Hell I felt the same way with Vegeta."

"He just plain hates being around." Mr. Briefs joked.

"That's true." Bulma laughed. "Ugh, he may not be the best guy in the world, but…" She blushed slightly. "He's not necessarily a bad husband or father."

"Sometimes I don't know why you didn't stick with that Yamcha fellow." Mr. Briefs chuckled.

"Daddy…" Bulma blushed full out this time.

"I think Vegeta is cute." Mrs. Briefs grinned.

"Yeah, so do I." Bulma laughed, standing up straight. "Alright, all ready. So let's get started."

Meanwhile…

"Nothing good is ever on." Krillin groaned, flipping channels. He passed one of the ladies work out shows. "Hmm, maybe Master Roshi is watching."

"Here, you take it!"

"Huh?" Krillin looked up upon hearing the gruff, unmistakable voice of Vegeta, just as he plopped Trunks down into his lap. "Whoa, hey!" He steadied the baby, who just giggled.

"Take this thing." Vegeta snorted again. "What a pathetic excuse of a Saiyan this brat its!"

"Vegeta, he is only just a baby…" Krillin frowned.

"Bah, that's no reason he can't be a warrior! He's got royal blood flowing through his veins, why at his age, I was already blasting weaklings!"

"Come on, give him a break. He's only half human, but this is peace time, why train him?"

Vegeta scoffed, wincing at the thought, "You never know when an enemy will strike. Disaster happens in the least place at the most unlikely time."

"But a baby can't fight a war, no less win one."

"Bah, you humans don't understand." He spat and walked off.

"Hmmph…" Krillin turned back to Trunks. "You don't listen to your dad, kid, you got that? One day you'll be one of the strongest people in the world!" Trunks just stared up at him blankly. "No listen to me, I mean it, your dad is the second… I mean…" He paused and then sighed. "Well, I guess now he IS the strongest person on the planet." He began to think about it but he didn't have long until his eyes went black. "AH, hey, whoa!" He scrambled, nearly dropping Trunks, who just laughed happily.

"Hey, guess who!"

The world lit back up but Krillin felt a fist grind into his head. "Ow, hey cut it out, ah!"

"NO, this is from Bulma!" Gohan laughed as he gave Krillin the monster noogie of doom.

"No, ah, stop, ugh, release me!" Krillin finally broke free and dusted himself off. "That's no way to treat me, I'm getting to old for this…"

"Yeah, and I guess I gotta start respecting my elders." Gohan laughed as he picked up Trunks, who was laughing himself, having such a great time.

"Why you…" Krillin made a sour face. "Man sometimes I confuse you with your dad…" He paused. "Well, I guess I won't now, now that he's gone…"

"Krillin." Gohan frowned. "Don't do that, come on. Dad wanted us to live happy, even if it was without him, but…" He looked up. "It's hard."

"And it will be." Krillin finally smiled. "But like father like son is true as well, I can see so much of him in you, he's not gone you know, he lives in you."

"Stop sounding like a song from The Lion King." Gohan grinned and let out a roar. Trunks laughed. "Oh you like that huh!" Gohan chuckled and let out a roar at Trunks, Trunks sang happily and tried to growl back but it came out as a gurgle, and Krillin just laughed.

"Oh Trunks, but that's babies for you, they're cute and funny like that."

"Yeah…" Gohan's eyes went wide. He looked at Trunks in his hands, laughing and singing and gurgling. He finally realized that in a few months, it wouldn't be Trunks he'd be holding in his hands, but his new sibling. He smiled, "Well, I guess you can be good practice then, my friend."

"Huh, what are you talking about?"

Gohan sat down, placing Trunks on his lap, "Trunks is the first baby I really knew. But I can't just have fun all the time, babies are work, right? I'm gonna have to help my mom now that dad's not around. Maybe if I practice with Trunks… maybe I'll be ready!" He grinned.

"Oh Gohan, please don't sweat it." Krillin patted his shoulder with an assuring smile. "You'll be a great big brother, I know that."

"Yeah, you really think…?"

"Trust me kid, you'll be fine."

"Yeah, okay." Gohan nodded. "But I still want to train with Trunks."

"Ugh, just don't let Vegeta hear you say that." Krillin groaned.

"Huh, what are you talking about?" Gohan asked, and Krillin explained.

Back in the lab…

"Alright." Bulma sat down. "It looks like everything is good. The readouts are stable, you're doing well, and the baby is progressing smoothly." She smiled.

"That's good to hear." Chi-Chi let out a sigh.

"What's wrong honey?"

Chi-Chi took a drink of tea, now they could talk like girls now that the tests were over, "I'm just worried that's all."

"Don't be, you'll be fine. And hey." She winked. "Without Goku, now you'll only have TWO children to worry about."

"Yeah." Chi-Chi chuckled slightly. "I know I'll be fine, but, what about Gohan?"

"Well what about him?"

"How does he feel about this?"

"Oh he'll be alright, I bet he's really happy, and he'll be glad to help."

"Yes but it's not his place, the mother and father take care of the baby, not the big brother."

"Chi-Chi… not every family in the world is a perfect pretty picture. You should know that. Goku doesn't necessarily have a conventional job now, fighting aliens on other worlds isn't something you can put on a resume to contact prior employers."

"I know, I know what you mean, but, I know what it was like to have only a dad."

"But you didn't have an older sister or anything. And since you know what it was like, you can be there, learn from the past mistakes and make sure this baby has a great childhood, right?"

"Yeah… yeah I suppose so." She took another sip. "I just worry, that's all."

"Chi-Chi." Bulma's grin broadened. "You're a mother, it's your job to worry. You're gonna be working that double time now. Don't forget that you have your dad, your son, and your friends here. We're here to help and we'll always be here for you. Got that?"

"Yeah, I know." Chi-Chi smiled. "And thanks."

The next few months passed by just like the first few, Gohan would study and help around the house, sticking by his mother's side. Not until about 7 months though did she finally start to show. She was finally able to start eating better and rest easier, getting more energy to help clean and keep her role as 'mother' alive. She had gone to Bulma for her second ultrasound, she still was having a good pregnancy with no problems and everything progressing fine, but…

"Oh, I can't see!" Bulma roared with frustration.

"What?" Chi-Chi glanced at the monitor and frowned.

"That little brat is mooning me, I can't tell if it's a boy or a girl!"

"Probably a boy then." The professor joked.

"Dad…!" Bulma groaned. "Oh that's just perfect…."

"Oh don't worry." Chi-Chi laughed. "It doesn't matter to me if it's a boy or a girl, I'll be happy just so long as it's healthy."

"I know." Bulma frowned, putting her hands on her hips. "But now we have to buy generic unisex baby stuff." She stomped. "There goes my pink baby shower!"

Chi-Chi just laughed again, "We can still have it blue, blue can be a color for a boy or a girl."

"Yeah, you can buy anything in any color, just not pink." Mrs. Briefs nodded.

"Yeah, if it is a girl, we can always have a pink explosion once she's born." Chi-Chi agreed.

"Alright then, very well! It will be a No-Pink-For-Now baby shower!" Bulma started to hand out invitations to those in the room. "See you next month, see you next month!"

"Oh, honey…" Mr. Briefs paused.

"Yes dad?"

"…we live here…"

"Ugh…" Bulma groaned, sometimes he could be so literal it was dumb.

Next month…

"Mom, I don't know, this'll be weird." Gohan was blushing. He'd never been to a baby shower before, but it sounded like something girly, even if it was a blue theme.

"But this is your little brother or sister, you have to be there." Chi-Chi finished fixing his tie.

"But so formal mom?" He groaned down at his clothes. "I hate this suit…"

"But it looks so cute on you." Chi-Chi gasped. "Oh what if it's a girl, I can buy dresses now!"

"Mom, what do you want?"

"Huh, what's that?"

"Do you want a boy or a girl."

"Hmm…. Well now…" She put a finger on her chin in thought. "You know, I don't know. Having another boy would be fine, but I'd like a girl too."

"What about me?"

"You?" Chi-Chi gasped, worried something was wrong.

"Did you want me to be a boy or a girl?"

"Oh." She sighed with relief and sat down on his bed. "Well you were my first, I was so confused and worried I didn't really know. I didn't have the time to dream or enjoy it. Goku and I were just married, we'd just moved in here, life was a bit crazy, and you weren't really a smooth pregnancy, heh. But when you came out as a boy, I couldn't have been happier. I mean I always wondered what it was like to have a girl, but, I'm glad I had a boy." She grinned and hugged him. "Besides… you wouldn't want to know the girl names my dad had picked out."

"Oh." Gohan laughed. "Hey mom?"

"Yeah?"

"If he still has that list, if he's still adding names to it, and it's a girl, what will he call it?"

"Eh…" Chi-Chi grimaced. "I really hope it won't come to that…" Gohan just laughed.

The baby shower went great, everybody showed up, even the guys that were invited, because frankly, most of Goku's friends were male. So Gohan felt a little bit better about that. Everyone had a blast with the games, yes even the guys, in fact, Yamcha won most of them. Krillin was horrible at them, and well, Vegeta of course didn't even play. The gifts were beautiful, Chi-Chi got a ton of stuff, lots of clothes, you name it. Of course there wasn't anything pink. But Bulma was ready and waiting, she had plenty of pink in mind. Trunks may have not been born a girl, nor had Gohan, but if Chi-Chi had a girl, they were going to go crazy with shopping.

Nine months seemed like forever to Chi-Chi, but time flew by quickly, and the day finally came, the little one was about to come out into the world. Bulma didn't want Gohan to have to rush her to the city when she went into labor, so they spent the last few weeks at Capsule Corp. Everyone was there, waiting in anticipation, and soon they would know, would it be a boy or a girl…


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** _Update, sorry for such a short chapter._

"AH!"

Chi-Chi was screaming, she had felt sharp stabbing pains that jolted her awake from a deep sleep in the middle of the night. And she knew this pain, it was a pain she had known all too well. It meant that the baby was coming. She thrashed in the bed until the sheets came untangled from around her, in the meantime Bulma had been jerked away and rushed out of her room and towards Chi-Chi's guest room.

"What, is something wrong?" She gasped, trying to catch her breath.

"The baby! Ah! Oh it's time, it's coming!" Chi-Chi panted, it felt like she couldn't breathe, she was turning red in the face and she was covered in sweat. "OH!" She groaned in pain, clutching her watermelon sized stomach.

"Oh my gosh, you're a few days early, I must've miscalculated!" Bulma moaned sadly, she felt terrible but she didn't have the time to dwell on that now. "Ah hurry, we have to get you to the delivery room!"

"Bulma, is everything alright?" The professor looked half asleep as he shuffled into the bedroom, his cat frowning tiredly on his shoulder.

"Chi-Chi's going into labor, quick get a wheelchair!" Bulma whirled around, ready to bark orders. "Tell mom to be ready in delivery."

"Bulma, what's the commotion?" Gohan mumbled, he let out a huge yawn as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "I heard yelling, what's going on?" He suddenly gasped and was fully awake when he saw his mother. "Mom, what is it!"

"The baby is coming Gohan, I'll need your help!" Bulma cried.

"AH!" Gohan gasped, completely concious now.

"Get my mom and go with her to the delivery room, I'll need towels and hot water. My mom will know what to do."

"AH!" Chi-Chi screamed, causing Gohan to go as pale as a ghost from the sound of her pain.

"Hurry, her contractions are getting stronger!" Bulma yelled.

"Ah, got it!" Gohan rushed off, he bolted down the hall and found Bulma's mother already awake and starting to move around in the halls. "Mrs. Briefs, it's my mom!" He panted. "She's going into labor, the baby is on its way!"

"Oh my." She gasped, but smiled. "I had a feeling that's what the commotion was about. I'm already going to get things ready, why don't you come and help me?"

"Okay!" Gohan nodded, his heart was racing and his stomach was in his throat, he was so afraid that something would go wrong.

"Just hang in there dear, you'll be alright." Mr. Briefs had brought a wheelchair and they were rushing her down the hall towards the delivery room.

"AH!" Chi-Chi sobbed, the pains were getting closer, she felt so scared to do it alone this time. Sure it was her second child and she knew what to expect, and she had all of her friends there to help her, but she didn't have Goku with her, and that pain hurt the most of all.

"We have to hurry." Bulma turned to her father.

"Don't worry, we delivered Trunks and Gohan fine didn't we?" He gave a nod of reassurance.

"Yeah, that's right. I trust you, we trust you." Bulma grinned back.

"Oh." Chi-Chi wailed as they arrived in the delivery room.

"Mom!" Gohan yelled, he dropped what he was doing and rushed over to her. "Are you alright, mom? Mom, everything's going to be just fine!"

"Ah." Chi-Chi cried. "The baby is kicking me like crazy!"

"Ah!" Gohan gasped, horrified. Was that a bad thing?

"It's okay Gohan, that's normal. It'll be a feisty child alright, just like his dad." Bulma smiled.

"Oh, uh, okay…" Gohan stammered, he was still freaked out of his wits.

Mrs. Briefs came up, "Gohan, it's o dark in the morning, you're just a bit frazzled. Why don't you take a break?"

"I can't, my mom needs me!" Gohan turned around, tears in his eyes.

"You probably shouldn't be in here while she's giving birth…" Bulma glanced up at her parents, Chi-Chi was in too much pain to think, but she probably wouldn't want her son to see her like this, even if it was the miracle of life and a great learning experience for a future scholar. "Why don't you call everyone, let them know what's going on? I think Krillin is at Master Roshi's tonight, and he can call Tien and Yamcha. And don't forget to call your grandpa, he'll race over her quick I'll bet. Wait up for him. Alright?"

"Oh, okay." Gohan nodded, trying to swallow the dryness in his mouth. He took a step back, "Don't worry mom, I'll be right back." He rushed off.

Bulma smiled, she turned to see her mom getting Chi-Chi ready while her father got things prepared, "We'll be alright here Gohan, and by the time you come back, we'll have a baby waiting for you."

Hours later…

Gohan had made his phone calls, Krillin told Master Roshi and called Tien and Yamcha, then Gohan called his grandpa, who of course like Bulma had said, told Gohan to wait for him because he'd be 'right there'. Vegeta was grumbling and walking around, muttering about how 'that woman' was making enough noise to wake up everyone at Korin's Tower and the lookout. Surprisingly enough though, Trunks didn't stir, he slept through it as if it were nothing. Gohan was shaking uncontrollably, he wiped sweat of his forehead. Every time he heard his mother cry out, he wanted to rush in there to be with her, to hold her, to make sure everything would be alright. He kept reminding himself that Bulma and her parents were there, they had delivered him and so he knew the baby would be alright. He couldn't help but wonder though, had he giving his mother that much pain, had he given her more? Was it worth it? Was he a good son after all the work and pain she had gone through? And not just in labor, but in life as well.

"Gohan, Gohan!" The knocking at the door and the doorbell ringing throughout the house drowned out Chi-Chi's cries, and Gohan knew that was the Ox King.

"Grandpa!" Gohan bolted over and opened the door.

"Did I miss it, did she have the baby yet? Is it a boy or a girl!" He quickly ducked into the house, his arms overflowing with large plush teddy bears, boxes of gifts and a full aray of balloons.

"No, she's still screaming, so I guess it's still in her stomach." Gohan sighed.

"Oh don't worry, women are strong, and nobody's stronger than your mother." Ox King realized that he would have to be strong for Gohan, he could tell Gohan was shivering with fear and uncertainty. "You don't know how long her labor was with you, she screamed like crazy. In fact, she hurt Goku."

"My dad!?" Gohan gasped.

"Some strongest man, she grabbed his hand so hard I think it was broken, he screamed and ran off and, well… he was gone for hours. But when he came back, he went right back to her side until you were born. Come to think of it, I don't think she crushed his other hand... Heh, you should've seen their faces when you finally came out. After all those hours and hours of terrible pain, when you were finally born, the look of pure loves was in their eyes."

"Did I, hurt her really badly? Was it really that long, longer than this baby?" Gohan frowned.

"Oh don't worry, that's part of being a mother I suppose, you don't remember the pain, no matter how bad or how long it may have been. All that matters is the baby is finally here, happy and healthy." He sat down on a couch, putting down his arm load.

Gohan sat down in a chair, "Do you think that it was worth it?"

"Huh?"

"Do you think…" Gohan looked up with glassy eyes at his grandpa. "That I was worth it? All the pain? Of child birth, and the pain or grief I gave her in life?"

"Gohan…!" Ox King was surprised, he was so shocked to hear such a question from his grandson. It took him a moment to finally snap back to reality and give him an assuring answer. "Gohan… your mother loves you more than anything in the world. You can't realize how much a parent loves a child. The love is so strong, any pain or grief or sorrow felt at any time during childhood, that love erases them all. Growing up is filled with pain, with sorrow, with anger, but the happy memories always replace them. So were you worth the pain? No." He smiled. "You're worth a million times more."

"Ah, grandpa…!" Gohan gasped upon hearing his words.

"Trust me, I know. I'm sure you'll understand one day when you have a child."

"Yeah, I guess…" Gohan sighed, that did make him feel a little better, but he still felt anxious. How good a dad would he be? Or more importantly, how good a big brother would he be? He was an only child, and now without Goku around, he'd have to help out a lot more.

"Gohan, Gohan!" Bulma panted as she rushed down the hall. "Ox King, you're here! Good, come quick you two!"

"Huh!?" The two boys gasped, they'd been talking so much that they'd forgotten all about Chi-Chi screaming, they hadn't realized that it had stopped. "Oh!" They rushed down the hall after Bulma and they arrived in the delivery room. "AH!" They both gasped in awe, Chi-Chi was lying in a hospital type bed, she had a happy and relieved, loving look on her face, and in her arms she was cradling a blanketed bundle of joy.

"Hey you guys, hope I didn't worry you." Her smile was so radiant it warmed the whole room, she was completly different from the person she was just a few hours ago. "Come on over Gohan, dad, I want you to meet the new addition of the family."

"Oohh…" Gohan and Ox King crept over. This was the moment, the moment that everyone had been waiting for. Bulma and her parents were smiling in triumph, they already knew the answer. The answer to the question that had been plaguing them for nine months now. "It's a…" They peered over Chi-Chi's arms and looked at the tiny face of the sleeping baby. "Ah!" They gasped, a grin beaming from ear to ear. "IT'S A BOY!"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** _Thank you for reading my story, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. The whole point of me wanting to write this fic was because so many people in my life were pregnant at the time, and so I thought today would be the best day to post the final chapter because my friend had her baby boy tonight. I'd love to do a sequel of this story about the family growing up together and stuff, so if I get a chance and find some time to start working on it, I hope to have a new addition to the story sometime in the future as well. Thanks again, now onto the closing chapter._

"Oh wow, he looks just like Goku! He looks just like him! Wow!"

That's the same thing everybody said once Chi-Chi began to show off her new baby boy. And he did in fact look just like his belated father. Chi-Chi cried, she cried her eyes out as soon as she had given birth and saw her new son for the very first time. It was almost as if Goku were there with her now, reincarnated, even though she knew that was impossible. She felt true happiness for the first time since Goku's death, she held the baby close, it was a warm hug of joy. The baby was so much like Goku, he had a big appetite, loved to sleep, and when he cried, you heard it.

"What are you going to name him?"

That was another thing that everybody kept asking, and each time Chi-Chi was thrown off guard. She honestly had no idea. The baby seemed so perfect, so much like her husband, she couldn't be happier now that he was finally brought into the world. But no name she had in mind seemed to fit. Gohan and the others all racked their brains, but every name they suggested she turned down. Of course Ox King broke out his list, but much like the names he threw out for Gohan, none of them seemed to fit his new grandson.

"What are we going to do, it's been days since he was born, he's almost a week old." Gohan sighed, his arms on the table, his head resting on top them. "Thinking up a name is much harder and more tiring than I thought it would be."

"What would Goku want to call him?" Ox King thought aloud.

"Goku…?" Chi-Chi muttered quietly, looking up upon hearing his name. She sighed, frowned and looked back down at the sleeping baby in her arms. "That's right, Goku will never know he had a son, he never realized that he had a new life that he left behind. He will never see him, and the baby will never know his father. He'll only see him in pictures, and in the reflection of a mirror."

"Oh, mom…" Gohan sighed.

"Chi-Chi…" Ox King couldn't think of anything to say to console his daughter.

"Oh Goku." Chi-Chi stared skyward. "What would you name our son? He named Gohan so easily."

"You didn't care for the name at first, but, I think it worked…" Ox King glanced at Gohan.

"Yeah, I wanted Einstein." Chi-Chi smiled in remembrance.

"Yuck!" Gohan stuck out his tongue.

"Yeah, you screamed as a baby." Ox King laughed.

"Well he wailed at your name suggestions too, daddy." Chi-Chi smirked.

"Really? Ah ha hah!" Gohan laughed. "Well I guess my new little brother is just like me, none of the names seem to fit no matter what anybody suggests."

"It took us three days after coming back from Capsule Corp to finally figure out that the name Gohan was a perfect fit." Chi-Chi sighed happily.

"It hasn't been much longer with this one, Goku came to the rescue that day, so this time one of us will have to." Ox King replied.

"That's right." Chi-Chi said with determination. "Goku's not here now, but this little guy is. We can't dwell on the past, because he is the future. But first he needs a name. Gohan? Dad? I'm going to put on some coffee. We're gonna pull an all nighter." She clenched her fist, the two boys shot each other a curious glance.

Hours later…

"Yawn. Ah, mom, I'm tired… can't I go do some homework now?" Gohan groaned, on his back as he lay down on the couch.

"My back hurts from pacing, maybe we should take a snack break." Ox King wiped his brow.

"No! My son can't go on nameless forever, we need a name and we need to pick one now!" Chi-Chi cried. The baby boy, awake now, was enjoying himself, cooing and laughing at the misfortune of his weary family members. "Oh and you just think this is all a game, well you just wait, once we get the perfect name for you it will all be over, and we will have won."

"Mom!" Gohan moaned, was she really going to feud with a baby now? She really needed a rest!

"Oh alright, we can take a break, gosh…" She rolled her eyes. "I need to change him anyway…" She walked into the extra room they had in the house, until the new arrival it had been storage and a random room. "Alright baby." Chi-Chi got to work as the happy baby giggled and cooed up at his mother. She smiled, "You really do remind me of Goku." He laughed. "There, all done." She picked him up. She looked around the room, it was already changed into a baby nursery, it had a crib and dressers and a rocking chair in the corner by a window. "The sun is nice today." She walked over and sat down, cradling the child in her arms. "There you are, my son. Why don't we take a nap, I could really use a rest right about now…" And not much sooner than when she shut her eyes, she had fallen asleep, with the baby boy following right behind her.

'Chi-Chi… Chi-Chi? Chi-Chi, can you hear me Chi-Chi!'

'Ugh… uh, huh? What… whose there, who is that?'

Chi-Chi was so stiff and tired, her eyes felt too heavy to open. But she kept hearing somebody calling out her name. Finally she felt her lids flutter open, when she opened her eyes, the world around her was dark, her visibility was shrouded in wispy fog. She wasn't standing, she wasn't sitting, she was floating in a realm of nothingness, nothing but black and silver fog.

'Chi-Chi.'

'Hello! Where are you who, whose calling me?' She tried to look around, squinting through the fog, trying to force her eyes to adjust, she knew she recognized the voice, but she couldn't place it.

'I'm sorry hun, I guess you can't see me, but I can see you. Chi-Chi I'm standing right here next to you, just put your arms out and you can touch me.'

'What…?' Chi-Chi just hovered there confused, there was nobody in front of her. 'But nothing is there.' She was starting to get nervous, where was her dad, and her two sons. Was she dreaming? Was she delirious?

'Just trust me Chi-Chi, reach out to me, I promise I'll catch you.'

'O….okay…' Chi-Chi didn't know who she was speaking to, even though she knew she knew the voice, but something in the presence of the stranger she felt almost calmed and at ease. 'I'm not really sure what's going on, but…' She lifted her arms and reached out.

'I'm here Chi-Chi, trust me, I'm here…'

'Who, who are you…?' In the instant she reached her hands out, she felt a huge burst of energy surge through her. She wanted to cry out in shock, but only a gasp managed to escape. 'Ah…!' But she wasn't afraid, she felt safe, she felt warm, she felt, she felt something she hadn't felt in a very long time, nearly a year, a feeling she longed for, a feeling she knew, a feeling, she missed.

'I'm so, so incredibly proud of you Chi-Chi. I miss you so much. I guess it makes sense that you can't see me but I can see you. I can see you all, I've been watching every one of you. I miss you all, and I'm so sorry I'm missing out on a new baby. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you.'

'G…gh…' Chi-Chi couldn't speak, her eyes were open wide.

'Had I known what I would be missing, what I was leaving behind, I would've made the decision to stay here differently. I thought it was wrong for me to come back, I'd be putting you in harm's way, but, in fact, by leaving you, leaving all of you, but especially my family, I may have hurt you more than any enemy ever could. And for that I'm sorry. I didn't want to be selfish, but, I guess that's just how it turned out.'

'G…goh…' Chi-Chi's eyes began to well up with tears.

'You were amazing, you've been so incredible these past 9 months I've been gone. I love you so incredibly much, I can't thank you enough for being the strong one in the family. I know it's been very hard for you, and for Gohan, but I'll always be here, even if I can't touch you, even if you can't see me, I will always be there for you, and for our sons. Our two, incredible sons. I'm sure that little one will grow up to be just like Gohan and me, no, even better. Because he'll live in a tranquil world, one without fighting and the pain of loss. But we will never know each other, and perhaps that's the greatest pain of all. And I'm sorry for inflicting it…… Chi-Chi. I don't have much time left, I didn't have a lot of it available to speak with you right now, but this isn't good bye, I can see you again when you sleep, you can speak to me in your dreams. When you look up in the sky, just know that I'm looking back down on you. You have no idea how much I miss you, how much I love you, how much I wish I could be there for you, to hold you, to play with our sons and watch them grow. There's so much I wish I could say, so much I want to do, and I can't. But, maybe there's no need for talking, if I just hold onto you a little bit longer, then, maybe then you'll understand.'

In the instant she felt embraced, she felt an aura surging around her, the warmth and happiness of being in his arms, the comfort and security she had missed and been longing for, for nearly 10 months of being without. In that moment, there were no more words, but when their bodies melded together she felt everything, there wasn't any more need for talking, that feeling she had missed, longed for... now she understood.

'Gh…goh… Oh Goku.' Tears poured down her face as she closed her eyes. In a flicker of a fraction of time, she could've sworn she saw him standing in a bright world, a green field full of wild flowers, a blue sky lined with puffy clouds, she felt as if she were in paradise with him. 'I love you so much, I miss you. Thank you.'

'Good bye Chi-Chi.' Goku waved. 'Tell…I said hello.'

'Huh, what…?' Chi-Chi hadn't heard the second word.

'Tell…I said hello.'

'Goku, I'm losing you, I can't hear you!' Chi-Chi started to run, reaching out for the fading image as the darkness began to return to her eyes. 'Goku, please wait, Goku!' He faded further away, he cupped his hands around his mouth as he waved, as if he were yelling, but although his mouth was moving, she couldn't hear him, what was he saying?

'Chi-Chi!'

'Chi-Chi!'

'Chi-Chi'

"Chi-Chi!"

"Huh!" Chi-Chi jolted back to reality, panting from the dream once she looked around and realized she had fallen asleep, she was in the rocking chair in the nursery. "What, I…" She blinked up at her father, rubbing some loose bangs on her forehead.

"You were muttering in your sleep." He replied. "Anyway, we have a great idea!"

"Huh?"

"Mom!" Gohan burst forward. "I had a daydream, I think, well, maybe I fell asleep… But anyway, I saw him, I saw dad!"

"Go…Goku!" That was right, Chi-Chi suddenly remembered the dream.

"I know the name, I know what we can call the baby!" Gohan beamed happily.

"Huh…?" Chi-Chi blinked.

"He said, to tell him hello. Tell Goten I said hello. Goten mom, his name is Goten!" Gohan cheered, and as he did, the baby began to laugh and clap happily, just like Gohan had as an infant.

"It's only fitting, Chi-Chi." Ox King smiled. "Goku's son, Gohan's brother, his name should most definitely be Goten. I think it's perfect!"

"Yay! He did it, he saved the day again after all!" Gohan jumped up happily.

"Goten…" She muttered. "Goten." She looked down at the baby who was giggling and squirming with joy in her arms. She smiled, so relived, so incredibly happy, tears crawled down her cheeks. She remembered the feeling in her dream, what Goku had said. He hadn't left his family behind, he hadn't left them at all, he was there, with them, he had left them Goten. She cradled him closely, feeling the warmth she had felt in her dream, and she closed her eyes and whispered, "Goten… your daddy says hello."

I'll see you tonight, my love… if only it weren't just in my dreams.

I love you, I miss you… and I know you're watching us. And I know, that you're proud.

Goku…


End file.
